Monthly Archives: January 2011

Lockheed Martin/Raytheon and Boeing/Northrop Grumman have each submitted proposals to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for the Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD) development and sustainment contract. A downselect is expected May 31. The deal could be worth up to $10 billion if all 10 years of options are exercised, and the work will involve sustainment […]

The International Space Station has modules a many – with discussions under way to attach a privately built Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM for short. NASA View full size image The International Space Station could get a new inflatable module supplied by the private American company Bigelow Aerospace, sources say. NASA is apparently in […]

By Michael A. Taverna PARIS — Thales Alenia Space (TAS) has selected Orbital Sciences Corp. (OSC) to integrate and test the 81 spacecraft in the next-generation Iridium mobile satellite system.OSC will integrate the satellite bus and communications payloads, to be provided by TAS, along with hosted payloads that the system, known as Iridium Next, is […]

France will finance the provision of SPOT satellite imagery to central African countries to help them pave the way for the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) mechanism. Satellite imagery is an essential component for establishing up-to-date cartography, baseline maps and accurate measurements to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of REDD programmes as […]

At the Global Space & Technology Convention in Singapore, EADS Astrium executives announced that Singapore will be building a small-scale demonstrator of the spaceplane and may be involved in developing parts for the commercial product. EADS Astrium is also hoping Singapore will ultimately have a fleet of its commercial spaceplanes stationed at Singapore’s Changi Airport. […]

Mahindra Aerospace of the $6.3-billion utility vehicle maker Mahindra Group will become the first Indian private firm to manufacture smaller civil aircraft for the Indian general aviation market, which is set to boom this decade. “We will manufacture the turboprop aircraft in 2-20 seat capacity at our recently acquired Gippsland Aeronautics (GA) in Victoria […]

Dallas-based IndUS Aviation, along with its Chinese partner IPI Technologies and private investors in China, are progressing towards the move of production of the Thorpedo Light Sport Aircraft to the new LuYangHu General Aviation Development Zone in Weinan, China. “I just returned from China this week. While there, we continued the development plans to begin […]